242 



THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT 



[ETH. ANN. 18 



a wide view over both sea and laud. Formerly, as at present, the vil 

 lage was usually an irregular group of seini- subterranean houses built 

 about a large central building, called by the TJnalit, Mj - i-gi. This term 

 corresponds to the name kasliim 1 of the fur traders, which has been 

 used throughout this paper to designate structures of this kind. 



These buildings are on the same general plan as the dwelling houses ; 

 but are much larger and are used as the central point of tfhe village 

 social life. They are ordinarily made large enough to contain all the 

 villagers, besides guests that may come during festivals. In some of 

 the villages, however/where the number of inhabitants is considerable, 

 two or more of these buildings are constructed. Their size is neces 

 sarily limited by the material available, which is mainly drift logs cast 

 up along the shope. The people of the lower Yukon have a tradition 

 that there formerly existed below Ikogmut a village that contained 

 thirty-five kashiins; at present there are many villages in which there 

 are two of these buildings. 



Fio. 74 Plan of house at St Michael. 



/ Snow houses, so common among the Eskimo of Greenland ana other 

 eastern regions, are known in Alaska only as temporary shelters erected 

 by hunters when out on short excursions from their village during 

 winter; they are termed An-i-gu-yATc , and their use is familiar to all of 



\ the Eskimo, although they are so rarely constructed. 



^ ^Oii Kowak river there are villages in which the Eskimo have adopted 

 from their Tinno neighbors the use of conical lodges for summer use, 

 and it is worthy of note that the former appear to have adopted other 

 customs from the same source. On Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers the 

 contrary is the case; there the Thine have adopted many of the Eskimo 

 customs and usages, while the Eskimo appear to have derived very little 

 from their Tinnr* neighbors. 



The Eskimo of the Kuskokwim and northward to the vicinity of 

 Bering strait have summer villages, built in a more or less permanent 

 manner, to which they resort during the fishing season. From Kotze- 

 bue sound northward the people use tents or skin lodges while at their 

 fishing stations in summer. 



r - ~ 



1 This term is derived from the word kaj -i-gim= &quot; my kaj -i-gl.&quot; 



